In prior art methods of assembling a ball grid array, a solder ball is fused to the end of a contact. The solder balls can be difficult to assemble with the contacts as they are loose. In addition, the assembly of the solder ball is fragile (balls may fall off). Furthermore, the co-planarity of the ball grid array with the conductive pads on the printed wiring board can be difficult to maintain because each ball sits on top of the solder paste on the conductive pad of the printed wiring board and the solder ball can interfere with the co-planarity of the contact field between the contact and the conductive pad. Additionally, when the solder ball is melted to form a solder joint between the contact and the conductive pad, a bulge may form. This bulge in the solder joint can cause shorts between adjacent contacts.
The present invention provides a contact assembly which overcomes these problems and which presents additional advantages will become apparent upon a reading of the attached disclosure in combination with a study of the drawings.